


Dreamscape

by SirenAngelEyes



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:00:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24063961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirenAngelEyes/pseuds/SirenAngelEyes
Summary: "Humans were once made with two heads and two hearts. Complete beings.” Aerith held out her empty hand and Cloud hesitated before he took it.  Minerva watched over these beings. They were her sacred charges but she upset her brother who desired her by spurning his advances in favor of watching over her charges. Jupiter was so angry by her indifference to him, he decided to punish her by splitting us. Suddenly instead of having two heads and two hearts, we only had one of each. We were lost without our other halves."Cloud Strife had died quietly in anonymity and alone but instead of the lifestream, he found himself somewhere else. He knew the old story about soulmates dreaming of one another until they met and dreams merged into reality. He had never believed it though after all, he had never dreamed of his soulmate. Time has lost all meaning in this strange place and now he's face to face with the person he has longed his whole life to meet but things aren't at all what they seem. Can Cloud figure out a way to save his soulmate, the people he loves, and most importantly himself? Or will it all crash down around him?
Relationships: Genesis Rhapsodos/Cloud Strife
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Dreamscape

**Author's Note:**

> I recently watched the movie Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow and I thought it was a really cool idea and something that I could play with. I fell head over heels into the Final Fantasy VII universe again after playing the remake and decided it was a brilliant idea to read some rare pairings and this thing bloomed from that. Now for some warnings: Genesis is a child when he and Cloud meet in the dreamscape. THERE WILL NOT BE UNDERAGE! I REPEAT when they reach that point they will BOTH be of CONSENTING ADULT age. They do however have a bond and Cloud is extremely protective of Genesis. Things will morph as they meet in real life to reflect Cloud's age which is kind of hazy at best right now but will be explained as we go along.

Cloud opened his eyes studying the odd curving trees with their strange purple fruits. The path was wide but well kept. He walked slowly, eyeing the fruit before walking up to the tree. He studied the fruit for a moment before he reached out a black gloved hand, bringing the fruit closer to his eyes. 

“Purple?” He murmured. 

“I think they’re rather lovely.” A sweet feminine voice spoke behind him. One he recognized instantly but hadn’t heard in years.

“Aerith.” He breathed her name softly as the young woman popped up next to his right arm. He couldn’t keep the bright smile from his face. 

“I missed you too.” She offered, knowing what he was going to say without him having to say it. That was really what he missed the most about Aerith. She was exceptionally kind but she was also able to read him so easily. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“A favor.” She shrugged before she plucked one of the strange purple fruits. They looked like apples but the dark purple skin was strange. Cloud couldn’t for the life of him remember where he’d seen them before but something tickled at the back of his mind, something long forgotten. 

Time hadn’t healed all wounds as they’d said. It had only allowed his to fester and slowly rot away the relationships he’d once cherished. The friends he’d made had all left one by one, driven steadily away by his inability to let his guard down. He was still a lone wolf and nothing could change that no matter how hard he tried. His sullen, introverted nature had driven Barret and Cid away first. Then Nanaki, Yuffie, and finally Vincent who had surprisingly stuck around the longest. But he too left eventually. Tifa was the last out of sheer stubbornness and even she couldn’t stay when Cloud pushed hard enough at just the right trigger. She was the most painful one to leave him but the blonde SOLDIER didn’t blame her at all for choosing self-preservation. He was chasing ghosts, Sephiroth, Zack, and Aerith. He hadn’t cared whether he lived or died and maybe that was the true problem. 

“Am I dead?” He asked, looking at Aerith who was twisting the fruit in her hands. She looked up, green eyes sparkling but she nodded. 

“Yes,” She didn’t bother to sugar coat it, ever earnest as she was. 

“What about the others?” 

“They’re alive for now. Eventually we all come back to the lifestream.” 

“Is that where I am?” 

“Not exactly.” 

“How can I not be in the lifestream if I’m dead?” Cloud asked, brow furrowed as he studied Aerith who had turned back to the strange purple fruit. 

“I told you it’s a favor.” 

“For what?” 

“For saving the planet twice over.” Aerith sighed as she looked up at him. “Did you ever hear the old stories?” It was such a shift it caused Cloud to blink. 

“What stories?” 

“Humans were once made with two heads and two hearts. Complete beings.” Aerith held out her empty hand and Cloud hesitated before he took it. She tugged him down so they sat side by side beneath the shade of the strange fruit bearing tree. “Minerva watched over these beings. They were her sacred charges but she upset her brother who desired her by spurning his advances in favor of watching over her charges. Jupiter was so angry by her indifference to him, he decided to punish her by splitting us. Suddenly instead of having two heads and two hearts, we only had one of each. We were lost without our other halves. Minerva wept at our plight. She blamed herself for causing us such pain.” Aerith set the strange fruit in her lap. She laced their fingers together as Cloud listened to her intently. “Nyx, the night goddess, took pity on Minerva and offered to help by ordering her son to allow soulmates to meet in their dreams. Every person is born with the knowledge that they’ll find their missing other half in their dreams every night until they meet on the physical plane where they can reunite as two halves of the same whole.” 

“That’s a pretty story but it’s not true.” Cloud offered and Aerith arched a brow. 

“Are you so certain?”    


“I never dreamed about my soulmate.” 

“That’s because Tifa wasn’t your soulmate.” Aerith was eyeing him as though he were quite dumb and he frowned never having known her to look like that. 

“I know…” He gritted his teeth, looking down at the well kept path.

She stood up, carefully untangling his hand from hers. 

“Catch.”    


“What?” He blinked as the fruit sailed at his head. His hand rose up, quick reflexes saving him from getting smashed in the head. He looked at the fruit and then up but Aerith was gone. 

“You’d better not be planning to steal that.” A tiny voice spoke behind him. 

He turned, the movement slower than his movement to catch the fruit Aerith had tossed at his head only a moment before. He held out the fruit instead at the sight of a beautiful little boy in dark trousers and a light blue top. The color brought out the color of his blue grey eyes. His red hair was longer, gathered in a low ponytail with a fancy bow at the base of his neck. He was eyeing Cloud with a defiant look, full lips settled into a natural pout. 

He cocked his head slightly as the beautiful little boy moved towards him and held out his hand, the strange apple shaped fruit held out in front of him like a peach offering. The boy hesitated a moment before he accepted the fruit. 

“I’ve never seen you before.” 

“I’ve never seen you before either.” 

“Then how’d you get here?” 

“I walked, I think, but I don’t really know for certain.” He smiled as the small child eyed him for a moment. There was something serious about him and he wondered if the child had the same trouble he had growing up. That freak bastard child, alone even though his mother did her best to shield him. She was still only one person against so many. Maybe that was why Cloud had never met his soulmate. Bastards didn’t get one of those. Then again what was this favor Aerith said she was helping with? He wanted to hunt her down but he refused to leave the beautiful child here on his own. 

“My Daddy wouldn’t let you on his land let alone his orchards.” 

“I’ve never seen fruit like this.” Cloud offered, eyeing the trees.    
“They’re called Banora Whites but everyone in Banora calls them dumb apples.”    
“Why are they dumb?” He asked, his voice quiet as always.

“Cause the bloom when they want. There’s no reason they bloom either.” 

“So that makes it difficult to harvest then.”    
The little boy nodded, “I made a juice of them once.” He bragged, holding out the apple. “Daddy thinks it’ll sell well.”    
“I’m sure it will.” Cloud agreed. “You’re very smart for your age.” 

“Mommy says I’m a genius.” There was a tiny bit of arrogance there but rather than be a turn-off Cloud found himself just a tiny bit charmed.

“I can see why.” 

“What’s your name?” The little boy asked, cocking his head. 

“Cloud. What’s yours?”    


“Genesis.” 


End file.
